


The Storyteller’s Passion

by Tafka



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-05 11:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tafka/pseuds/Tafka
Summary: Cassandra eagerly anticipates reading Varric’s new novel, about a storyteller in love with a princess.





	The Storyteller’s Passion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RipplesOfAqua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RipplesOfAqua/gifts).



Cassandra practically sprinted to her room, clutching the book to her chest like something precious. And it was: a new book from Varric! One she didn’t even know he was writing. It was slimmer than his other volumes, and not part of one of his series. The cover art showed a handsome, dark-haired man speaking animatedly to a varied group of buxom ladies. Golden swirls spun from his mouth, dancing over their heads. The title read: The Storyteller’s Passion.

It seemed promising.

Before she started reading, though, Cassandra made herself a cup of tea, sweetened with just a touch of honey, and organized her pillows and blankets into a comfortable nest to read in. You could only read a new book for the first time once, after all, and it was best to make the experience the most enjoyable it could be.

She finally opened the book, taking time to smooth her hand over the marbled frontispiece, and the lengthy publisher’s credit, and then the dedication to a favorite fan, and the chapter listing (which she did not read, because spoilers,) and then finally on to the story proper. She sighed happily and set to reading:

***

Elias Bragadin was gifted with a golden tongue and, since he was not a stingy man, he spent that gold readily. Everywhere he went he would tell tales and everywhere he went people would gather around to hear them. He gained fame far and wide for his stories, so it was no surprise when the crown princess Jacqueline Maximina Berthomeua Barbolani summoned him to her court to entertain her. 

The princess was more just than a carpenter’s level, stronger than dragonbone, more beautiful than sunsets, and firey-er than a fireplace. At first, the storyteller was resentful that he was made to come to court when he would much rather be doing pretty much anything else. But eventually he found his place there by her side. In fact, he had somehow fallen quite in love with her, but he didn’t know how to tell her, so he did so the only way he knew how, with a story:

*** ***

Jerdel Dovonak was a dwarven warrior and Mettius Serranus was a human rogue who were very much in love. They had traveled all over the world together, through every plain, steppe, and bog the land had to offer. They had fought bandits, darkspawn, dragonlings, and many many bears. Mettius admired Jerdel’s stamina and strength, while Jerdel loved Mettius’ clever hands. When they stopped to make camp for the night, Jerdel regaled Mettius with a story the Dwarf had first heard in childhood:

*** *** ***

Once upon a time, there were two Paragons who lived in a far away Thaig. They were called Vekas the Word-Smith and Gwig the Shield-Maiden. Vekas loved Gwig, but Gwig didn’t know it. Vekas agonized over how to tell Gwig, before finally deciding to write her a story:

*** *** *** ***

Sometimes, when two people are meant to be a part of each other’s lives, they find their way to each other whether they like it or not. They find themselves thrown together by fate, crossing paths repeatedly, or caught up in the same big mess. And that is how--

***

Cassandra threw down the book before another ridiculously-named character could be introduced. 

Preposterous, she thought. Impossible.

But each story rung true. The wordsmith and shieldmaiden, the warrior and rogue, the princess with the admittedly long name and the storyteller reluctantly at her side. There was _thrown together by fate_ and the many, many bears. The whole story, all of them, they reminded her of, well, Varric and herself.

She swallowed the flutter in her chest at that thought. That could not be true. Why would Varric write about them in such a way. After all, in all of these stories the characters were in love. That would mean that Varric loved her, and that was, of course, impossible. But her heart still leapt at the thought, and she was forced to tamp it down again. Just wishful thinking.

She picked the book up again, having completely lost her place, and started reading:

***

Princess Jacqueline must have been pleased with his latest tale, Elias thought, if she would invite him to her private quarters to share a meal. He made himself look as presentable as he could, in his best red tunic. 

Arriving at her quarters, he was presented with the sight of a sumptuous meal laid out just for two. But more stunning than that sight was the princess herself, not because she was especially finely dressed, but because he always found her stunning, no matter what she wore. He wondered if she might ever think the same of him, but then put the thought from his mind. Although she was his most loyal reader, It was too much to hope that she might feel—

***

Cassandra slammed the book shut again. _Most loyal reader_? But Elias was a storyteller, not an author. A mistake in editing, no doubt. But something teased at her mind. Carefully, picking up the book as though it might break, she leafed back to the very beginning, and re-read the dedication:

_To my most loyal reader, with all my love._

Oh, she thought, oh.

And then she thought: I have to find Varric.

And then she tossed the book aside into her nest of blankets and rushed out of the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to the Dragon Age Name Generator at www.fantasynamegenerators.com/dragon-age.php for all the ridiculous names Varric gives his characters


End file.
